


The Story of Mishmash

by Viridian5



Category: Andromeda
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Christmas, Gen, Holidays, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 02:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridian5/pseuds/Viridian5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harper and Trance explain a few of the Eureka Maru’s holiday celebrations to Dylan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Story of Mishmash

**Author's Note:**

> No spoilers, though this is a first season story. The official [Seamus Harper Online site](http://saveandromeda.com/harper/home.html) mentioned Christmas as a holiday in Harper’s family, so....

“Harper, why is there what appears to be an artificial tree with blinking lights and decorations sitting in your workshop?” Dylan asked as he walked in. 

Trance, who used her tail as well as her hands to hang ornaments on the tree, replied, “It’s a Mishmash tree!” 

“ _Christmas_ tree,” Harper said as he continued working on actual engineering work. “You have to have heard of Christmas, Dylan.”

“I vaguely remember it,” Dylan answered. There hadn’t been many Christians on Tarn-Vedra, and Christmas wasn’t an official holiday in the Commonwealth or High Guard. “I assumed you were Wayist.”

“Rev never converted me. Hey, on Earth we had so much experience with the Orthodox Magog that we didn’t want to follow the religion of even a Reformed one.”

“Mishmash--” Trance said brightly.

“Christmas!”

“--celebrates the birth of Harper’s people’s god made flesh. Or the fleshy son of their god. Weirdly, it seems to be the same being and not the same being at the same time. He was born among the animals--”

“Do _not_ turn the nativity into a bestiality story again,” Harper said. 

“But your savior loves animals!”

“Platonically!”

“Anyway, a star brought visitors to see the baby, and they gave him money and incense, which is why people celebrate it by giving each other gifts. There’s also something about some of the trappings coming from a different religion’s holiday about the rotation of his planet? Right, solstice! There’s also Santa Claus--who’s a magical, old, fat, and happy human--delivering gifts from his sleigh, which is pulled by flying reindeer, but I’m not sure where he came from and what he has to do with the rest of the story. I’ve never met him, but Beka says that’s because we’re in space and the Maru doesn’t have a chimney for him to somehow slide down.”

“Dylan, if you understand anything true about Christmas from all that, you’re a better man than I am,” Harper said. 

Before Dylan could even try to tackle any part of what he’d heard, Trance protested, “I’m not the problem! Your holidays make no sense. Didn’t your people also nail this savior to some wood to kill him? Though at least you didn’t do it when he was a baby.”

Harper shook his head and sighed. “We didn’t-- It wasn’t _my_ ‘people’-- I give up. I like my tree though. It’s much nicer than what I had on Earth. We couldn’t have lights, for one thing....”

“Dylan, don’t ask,” Trance said. “A lot of times people die in Harper’s Earth stories.”

“I’m inviting you to celebrate without-people-dying Christmas with us, Dylan,” Harper said, “but it’s up to you.”

“We just celebrated Festivus, Dylan, but Beka didn’t invite you in on that because she didn’t think you’d ‘get’ it--”

“--the airing of grievances--” Harper murmured.

“--but that was okay with me because that way I definitely get to continue being champion of the feats of strength. I win every year! Since Rev Bem always abstains. That’s why I’m fine with Tyr staying out of it too. All of our holidays are still the Maru crew only.”

“You _cheat_ every year!”

“Having a tail is not cheating!”

“ _Using_ it the way you do is cheating!” 

“Sometimes you really like the way I use it!” Trance answered, which made Harper blush a tiny bit.

Dylan didn’t want to think about it, so before this conversation completely degenerated he said, “I didn’t see any decorations for... Festivus.”

“There’s no way you could have missed the pole,” Trance said. 

Wait. “...that’s what that was about?”

Harper shrugged. “Long hauls were really boring, so we celebrated as many holidays as we could, though I’m not sure I really believe that Trance’s people have a Silly Hats Day. But I have to admit that seeing Rev in a silly hat is worth it.”

Trance bounced. “It’s one of our most sacred occasions! We work on that hat all year. Beka enjoys it.”

“I’ll give you a little hint, Trance. Beka never makes her own hat. She delegates it to her engineer.”

“Then she can’t win Silly Hats Day! It’s just wrong! I have to take back her past win.”

“So, Dylan, you wanna do Christmas with us?” Harper asked while obviously trying not to laugh. “After this, I can totally understand if you don’t.”

Dylan didn’t even have to think about it. “I’ll sit this one out and just observe.”

“Smart man.”

  

### End


End file.
